Liaison to CUNY University Faculty Senate (UFS)

Representing Hunter College at the CUNY level is important because, per CUNY mandate, faculty must be apprised in advance of many of the CUNY initiatives that affect how the university functions. The role of the UFS is to ensure that this notification of faculty happens in a timely manner and to provide a regular and direct conduit for faculty to address administrators in the CUNY Central Office, particularly the CUNY Chancellor.

Hunter College has a standing delegation of 11 Senators to the University Faculty Senate, although in some years a few of these seats have remained open. Because of the recent Perez ruling, it is important that delegates attend the monthly UFS Plenary meetings, as absent Senators are automatically counted as "No" votes on any resolutions acted upon at that meeting.

In addition, in recent years, there has been concern that the delegations from the CUNY senior colleges tend to have far more absences at Plenary meetings than do delegations from the community colleges. Thus, some worry that actions from the UFS may not as fully reflect the best interests of the senior colleges on some issues.

Further information about the UFS comes from the University Faculty Senate website:

The University Faculty Senate is the faculty governance body in academic matters of university-wide concern at The City University of New York. The Chair is an ex-officio CUNY Trustee and members of the Executive Committee serve as voting members of CUNY Board of Trustees Committees. The Chair of the University Faculty Senate also presides at meetings of the CUNY Council of Faculty Governance Leaders. The 136 elected Senators represent 12,000 full- and part-time faculty, and provide a representative, collective faculty voice from each of the 20 campuses. Senators are charged with responsibility in issues of curriculum, degree requirements, and institutional mission at the University level. Senators serve on various university-wide committees, including those dealing with academic governance of the CUNYBA, the School of Professional Studies, the Research Foundation, and the CUNY Academy. The University Faculty Senate and its Committees work with the Senates on the CUNY campuses and the CUNY Discipline Councils.

The University Faculty Senate also informs the University Community of new documents & proposals up for consideration before the Board of Trustees, and helps provide for appropriate consultation on the issues.